


the house by the sea

by astomnus



Series: Sun Fraeti [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Beach Episode, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Languages, Post-Apocalypse, Worldbuilding, someone else bites into a still-living fish bc they're feral, someone jumps off a cliff bc they're feral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26412670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astomnus/pseuds/astomnus
Summary: After a long and grueling journey, two prophets finally make it to the ocean.
Relationships: Halcyon & Aubade
Series: Sun Fraeti [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920277
Comments: 6





	the house by the sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LotusLeaf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LotusLeaf/gifts).



> this is for raven..... the rest of y'all can read this i guess :/

The sun was only just cresting the horizon when the tiny cottage finally became visible. Dead brush crunched underfoot as the two figures wound across the cliffside. Far below, obscured by the fog, came the distant sounds of waves crashing against a rocky shore. The rising sun cast gray light over everything. All around them were the dark shapes of half-dead foliage, blackened branches reaching up for the light like long-dead bones.

Aubade paused, reaching up to snap some twigs off, before racing up the rocky path to catch up with Halcyon.

Up on the edge of the cliff sat the tiny cottage. Once, long ago, maybe it had been white, but the age and the sea wind had faded the color into a dull yellow. Feral sunflowers clustered in droves around it, ripe for picking. Someone long ago had planted a rose bush in front of it, and now it grew to cover most of the house in a thick, thorny blanket, red blooms fragrant and heavy. 

The two prophets carved their way up to the top, raspberry leaves brushing against their legs as they hiked up the old dirt road. On the porch they stopped, stomped the clumps of mud off their boots, and with sure and deft movements Halcyon rapped on the door three times.

When no one answered, they let themselves in.

Inside, the cottage was small and dusty, but well-loved. Several small bunks lined the walls, encased in bookshelves. The wood-lined walls were painted a vibrant shade of light blue, and an old wooden door led to a small bathroom. And everywhere one looked, there were trinkets. Things left behind by those who had used this cottage, once upon a time. Aubade gently picked up a small stone cat, running their fingers over its head while Halcyon read the note left on the dining table.

_ Fuerñ’ima, _

_ Lunest en sri talosine est iñis. Jureknisn kaesh kidnisn. Komnis imae ngon, sornis en imae sauf. Shornisn quarishon, shornisn kaesh nis adeni. _

_ Kir est duskine. _

_ Eungsirali paeklisn kir nis en nis fuerña. _

Carefully, Halcyon replaced the note, taking care not to damage the ancient paper. Huffing a sigh, Aubade set their bags on a weathered armchair, flinging themself onto it dramatically. “If I ever have to do another walk like that again, remind me to just remove my legs and leave them behind.”

“Are you  _ serious _ ? Just roll down the mountain next time then.”

Halcyon flopped down on Aubade, who screeched and wriggled underneath them. “C’mon. I wanna go to the beach.”

They stopped squirming, staring at Halcyon with wide eyes. “ _ Now?  _ Right now? We  _ just  _ got here.”

“Yeah? What else are we here for?” They shoved themself off of Aubade, throwing their bags onto their chosen bunk. “Lets go. Last one there has to make dinner.”

“I  _ want  _ to make dinner though—”

The rest of Aubade’s words were cut off as Halcyon bounded out the door, already making their way towards a small trail that led down the cliff face.

Already the fog was starting to burn off, the sun hot and heavy despite having only just risen. Below, the sea crashed against the cliffs, the salty-sweetness coating the back of their tongue. Even from up here they could feel the spray against their face, cool against the threat of the sun. 

Near the end of the trail it curved, leading along the cliff face and diving into a tiny, sheltered cove. Halcyon brushed past the bushes of California sunflowers, feet skidding against the rocky path, drinking in the sea spray.

They kicked off their boots, leaving their meager belongings to the side to leap into the ocean.

Sinking into its depths, they breathed a sigh of relief, watching as the bubbles gently floated up towards the sunlight. The water was deep here and freezing cold, wonderfully so, and they eyed the inky blackness below, wondering just how far down they might be able to go. Maybe with some cleverly timed pocket dimensions they might be able to reach the bottom… but then they might lose all their snacks.

Lungs burning, they abandoned their thoughts to pop their head above the waves again, gulping in air and grinning up at Aubade’s tiny figure high above them, still making their way down the mountain. Cupping their hands, they shouted, “Hey, Aubade! Do a flip!”

“What?” They shouted back down, voice tiny.

“Jump! Do a flip!”

“But my clothes—”

“Just leave them up there!”

Halcyon dove back into the ocean, sinking into its cool embrace. Somewhere in the distance they spotted movement, and with a lazy kick they swam forward, water rushing past their face. Silver fish eyed them curiously, diving away when they got too close.

They grinned. Maybe they could catch one for dinner—

Something crashed into them from above, a heavy weight sending them careening into the depths. Sucking in a panicked breath of seawater, they surfaced again, glancing around for what had hit them. Aubade grinned back at them, face flushed. “You didn’t even see my flip!”

Laughing, Halcyon shoved them under the waves. 

The water was cold, a welcome relief from the heat of the summer sun. On the shore, a creature that might’ve once been a crow stared at the two floating prophets, white eyes shining harshly against the creature’s black feathers. With a croak, it took off, soaring high above the ocean to places unknown.

“Ña, olm’kil!” Aubade shouted, waving up at the vanishing dark speck high in the sky. “Hey, Halcyon. Why don’t we have a cool… what’s it called? One of those creatures who love you just because you feed them?”

“...A pet?”

Aubade waved a lazy hand. “Yeah, whatever. Why don’t we get one? I’m sure it’s not that hard.”

“If we ever find something that doesn’t instantly try to bite our fingers off, we’ll ask to see if it wants to be our pet.”

“Are we supposed to ask?”

Halcyon shrugged, the saltwater gently combing through their hair as they floated along, staring up at the blue sky. “I dunno. Aren’t pets supposed to be smart?”

“Okay so first,” Aubade giggled, “First, let’s try and find some guide about pets. Maybe we can, uh, we can check on that phone-device-thing we found?”

They hummed in reply, closing their eyes to savor the moment. “Maybe later.”

For a moment, they floated along in silence, and the only noise was the waves lapping gently along the cliff face, and the echoes of seagulls that had once lived here. The cliffs shone dark orange and crimson above them, white lines of limestone criss-crossing along the rocks. Far above, the sky shone a perfect, warm blue, as the sun beat down on them.

There was a sharp intake of breath, and a gentle splash as Aubade slipped under the waves. And then the only noise Halcyon could hear was the beating of their own heart, thumping in time to the waves.

Aubade emerged with a gasp, dark green kelp entangled in their hands. Delicately, they strung it over Halcyon’s floating body, rearranging the strands to resemble a crudely-shaped net. Halcyon didn’t move an inch, accepting the gift. 

“Mai, Halcyon?”

They looked up at Aubade, who had left the water to sit on one of the rocks, legs swinging. Idly, Aubade’s fingers flashed around a strand of kelp, braiding it over and over again. “Ji?”

“Bet you three bones you can’t catch a fish.”

“Carved or uncarved?”

Aubade hummed in deliberation, carefully stripping the leaves with a fingernail. “One carved, two uncarved.”

Without replying, Halcyon drank in a breath of air, and dived under the waves, blinking open their eyes to scan the water around them for any hint of motion. Far below them came the flash of silver-green scales, and they sank towards it.

Fish that might’ve once been yellowtail swum in a lazy formation, eyeing Halcyon warily. They crept ever closer, pretending to be uninterested even as their lungs began to scream for air. Pushing the sensation down, they focused on the push and pull of the water around them, feeling the ocean’s currents rushing past their body. 

And with a lunge they snapped forward, rushing upon the closest fish and sinking their fingernails into its scales.

It fought back, thrashing and writhing in their grip, but they sunk their teeth into it and swam upwards, fighting to keep control over the mass of slippery scales wriggling in their grip. Its tail slapped them in the face and they grimaced, as the warm blood ran down their throat.

Finally they emerged from the waves once more, warm and wriggling fish safely secured in their jaws as they swam to shore.

“You didn’t have to catch it with your  _ mouth!  _ I was going to cook that!”

Eventually, the sun began to sink below the horizon again, and the two finally pulled themselves out of the water, making the long trek back up to the house.

Maybe they might’ve felt sorrow at leaving the ocean and that tiny sheltered cove behind, but they had all the time they could ever want here. There was nowhere they needed to go, no responsibilities they’d ever need to attend to. 

They toweled off, each taking a turn to hop into the tiny shower to rinse off. By the time Halcyon emerged from their shower, spreading a homemade sunburn cream on their reddened and flanking shoulders, Aubade was already rummaging through the cabinets to try and find something to go with the fish they had caught earlier. “Craving anything in particular?”

“I think we still have those cashews that one family traded us. Maybe that?” They offered up the small container of burn cream to Aubade, who took it with a grateful smile. 

“Alright. Panfried fish with nuts it is, I guess.”

Halcyon rummaged through their mismash of bags, hunting for the container of nuts. Their body ached, but in a good way, sore from the weeks of travel and the day spent swimming in the ocean. Already they could feel the haze of exhaustion sink into them, though they fought it back.

They left the box of cashews on the counter next to where Aubade was descaling the fish, and headed outside.

The ocean air was sweet and salty, the night fog already creeping in from offshore. On bare feet they walked down the dirt path towards the patch of sunflowers. With a pocketknife they sawed through the thick stem, the flower head dropping into their awaiting hands. 

Back inside, they sat down at the dining table, beginning the long process of slowly picking out every single sunflower seed, dropping each one into a jar they had found many seasons ago.

The smell of frying onions and garlic filled the air, as Aubade prepped the fish. “I can’t believe you just,  _ bit into  _ this.” They grumbled. “Seriously? What possessed you to do that?”

Halcyon laughed, prying another sunflower seed out of its casing to drop it into the awaiting jar with a satisfying  _ plink.  _ “You’re just mad because now you have to give me some of your bones.”

“Maybe so,” Even though Aubade’s back was turned to them, they could hear the grin in their voice. There was a satisfying sizzle as the fish hit the pan, and the wonderful aroma of cooking fish filled the air.

Eventually they’d have to leave this place behind. It was one of the sorrows of being constantly on the move.

But for right now? For this moment? 

This was enough.


End file.
